Down1

a historical county of SE Northern Ireland, on the Irish Sea: generally hilly, rising to the Mountains of Mourne: in 1973 it was replaced for administrative purposes by the districts of Ards, Banbridge, Castlereagh, Down, Newry and Mourne, North Down, and part of Lisburn. Area: 2466 sq km (952 sq miles)

Down2

/daʊn/

noun

1.

any of various lowland breeds of sheep, typically of stocky build and having dense close wool, originating from various parts of southern England, such as Oxford, Hampshire, etc See also Dorset Down

down

adv.

late Old English shortened form of Old English ofdune "downwards," from dune "from the hill," dative of dun "hill" (see down (n.2)). A sense development peculiar to English.

Used as a preposition since c.1500. Sense of "depressed mentally" is attested from c.1600. Slang sense of "aware, wide awake" is attested from 1812. Computer crash sense is from 1965. As a preposition from late 14c.; as an adjective from 1560s. Down-and-out is from 1889, American English, from situation of a beaten prizefighter. Down home (adj.) is 1931, American English; down the hatch as a toast is from 1931; down to the wire is 1901, from horse-racing. Down time is from 1952. Down under "Australia and New Zealand" attested from 1886; Down East "Maine" is from 1825.

n.

"soft feathers," late 14c., from Old Norse dunn, perhaps ultimately from PIE root *dheu- (1) "to fly about (like dust), to rise in a cloud."

Old English dun "down, moor; height, hill, mountain," from Proto-Germanic *dunaz- (cf. Middle Dutch dunen "sandy hill," Dutch duin, "probably a pre-insular loan-word from Celtic" [Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names], in other words, borrowed at a very early period, before the Anglo-Saxon migration.

down

Depressing; pessimistic; dampening; downbeat: I don't see the point of making such a ''down'' picture(1950s+)

Not functioning; on the blink: The power plant has been down for two months/ The computer's down again today(1970s+)

Coolly cognizant; at ease in one's own skin; cool: To show how ''down'' you are to youthful consumers/ Of course if you are ''with it,'' you ''be down''(1970s+)

Excellent; good; profoundly satisfying (1950+ Jazz musicians)

(also down-ass)Having special affinity; linked; in league •The term was strongly revived in the 1990s by black teenagers and street gangs: It wasn't her turf, but she wasn't down special with one gang/ You're down with the heavy metal crowd now/ I am probably one of the few down-ass females on his team/ You're down hard for the 'hood(1930s+ Jazz musicians)